Who Are the Youngest Summiters of Mount Everest?

Mount Everest stands at 29,029 feet above sea level and is located on the border between Nepal and China. As the tallest mountain in the world, it is also one of the most popular climbing goals for mountain climbing enthusiasts. Nearly 1,000 individuals attempt the dangerous path to its summit each year. However, only about half of these climbers ever make it to the top, and nearly 300 people have lost their lives during an attempt. This article highlights the youngest people ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Temba Tsheri

Temba Tsheri is the fourth youngest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest. Originally from the Rolwaling Valley of Nepal and currently residing in Kathmandu, he identifies as being of Sherpa ethnicity, which is an indigenous group from the Himalayan Mountains. Tsheri accomplished this feat on May 23, 2001, at the age of 16 years and 14 days. Tsheri actually held the title of “youngest person to climb Mount Everest” until his record was broken in 2003. During his summit climb, Tsheri went up the north climbing route, which is on the Tibet side. He was not alone on this journey, however, reaching the summit with a group of individuals on the same International Everest Expedition. Tsheri's previous attempt to reach the summit in 2000 was unsuccessful, resulting in severe frostbite and loss of 5 fingers. Today, he works as the director of an expedition guiding firm.

Ming Kipa

Ming Kipa is the third youngest person to reach the summit of Mount Everest is Ming Kipa. The Nepalese climber accomplished the feat on May 24, 2003 at the age of 15, breaking the previous record set by Temba Tsheri in 2001. Like Tsheri, she identifies as belonging to the Sherpa ethnic group. Kipa followed the same north climbing route on the Tibet side because the government of Nepal prohibits any person under the age of 16 from climbing the mountain. She held the record as the “youngest person to climb Mount Everest” for 7 years, until it was broken in May 2010.

Malavath Purna

Malavath Purna is the second youngest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest. Purna is from the state of Telangana in India, and successfully reached the top of the mountain on May 25, 2014, at the age of 13 years and 11 months. Her successful climb broke the record as the youngest female to summit Mount Everest, previously held by Ming Kipa, and is a distinction that Purna continues to hold. Purna was accompanied by Sadhanapalli Kumar during her climb of Mount Everest. Three years later, she successfully climbed Mount Elbrus in Russia.

Jordan Romero

The record for the youngest person to climb Mount Everest is currently held by Jordan Romero. He successfully reached the summit on May 22, 2010, at the age of 13 years and 10 months, breaking the record previously held by Ming Kipa. Romero is from California, USA, and the following year he climbed Mount Vinson Massif in Antarctica. He also holds the title of the youngest person to climb the Seven Summits.